Chinese FM embarks on African tour including Egypt

CAIRO – 11 January 2023: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, will make a tour that includes Egypt, Tunisia, Togo and Côte d'Ivoire from January 13 to 18, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday.

“This is the 34th consecutive year that Africa has been the destination of Chinese foreign ministers’ annual first overseas visit,” she said.

The spokeswoman added that following his visit to Africa, Wang will visit Brazil and Jamaica from January 18 to 22, based on an invitation he received.

In October 2023, Egypt and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on development debt swaps. The signing took place during the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, cementing the commitment of both nations to further collaboration in the field of debt swaps and development projects.

According to data released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), trade exchange between the two countries surged by 2.2 percent in 2022, amounting to $16.2 billion compared to $15.9 billion in 2021.

Furthermore, Egypt's exports to China experienced a remarkable increase of 25.1 percent, reaching $1.8 billion in 2022 as opposed to $1.5 billion in 2021. This underscores the expanding economic ties between the two nations and highlights the potential for further collaboration in the future.